Cotton harvester



Jan. 17, 1933. C. DUMLER 1,894,305

COTTON HARVESTER Filed April 10. 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 alix.

Chaz-'Zes 2721171.745211 Jan. 17, 1933.

c. DUMLER n 1,894,305 coTTN HARVESTER Filed April 1o, 1931 5 sheets-sheet 2 TZ E 76, (36

n 6 Il'i-llllmuw f 6/ 6 C'h arles Uzzzzz 2er' Jan. 1.7,- 1933.

c. D UMLER COTTON HARVESTER `Filed April 10. 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 CIZ arles Zjumler' @Hoa/Mp www m M Jan. 17', 1933.

C. DUMLER COTTON HARVESTER Filed April l0. 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Jan. 17, 1933. c. DUMLE COTTON HARVESTER Filed April 10, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 aww/M501 Chaz-'Zes Dun/:Isf

mbo/wmp Patented Jan. 17, 1933 Application fliedA Aprn io,

This invention relates to cotton harvesters and has for its object the provision of anv efficient machine which will act Aupon two or more rows of plants simultaneously and '.35 which may be readily driven over alield to strip the plants of the cottonduring its travel. Another'object of ther linvention is to provide a cotton harvester which may be driven header fashion over the field: and whichwill strip the cotton from the plants and deliver the stripped cotton to ayconfy veyer at the rear of the stripping mechanism, by which conveyer it will beV carried to one side to be loaded into a vehicle driven overthe field alongside the harvester. The Vinvention also lprovides means whereby the'piclring or stripping mechanism may be adjusted to run close to the ground or at ahigher point, as circumstances -m'ay require, andthe invening parts may he driven from a ground wheel of the machine or may be driven by an engine mounted upon `the machine fra-me. 4@ther objectswill appear incidentally in the course y of the following description, and the invention resides in certain `novel features which will be hereinafter first fully described and `then more particularly pointedout in the appended claims.

In the drawings: v Figure l is a side elevation of a cotton harvester embodying the invention, Y

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of they same, v Fig. 3 is an enlarged Ldetail front elevation` with parts in section, Fig. 4i is an Yenlarged detail lview of one of the picker rollers, s .Y Y

- Fig. is an enlarged section on the line 5-15 of FigQ, o a

Fig. 6 is an enlarged front elevation, with parts in section, on the line (5e-6 ofFig. 2, Fig. 7 a detail section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6,

Figs. 8 and 9 are details of thelconveyer and elevator, p 1 l Fig. l0 is an enlarged detail View of one ofthe longitudinal conveyors, Fig. 1l is an enlarged detail section on the line lll-l1 of Fig. 6.

In carrying out the invention, there is protion also provides means whereby the work-V cnaf-arias hunnen, or CANTON, "OKLAHOMA COTTON HARVESTER 1931. Serial No. 529,183.

vided a push bar or tongue 1 which is-suppolitT ed at its rear end upon a caster 2 having its spindle equipped with ahljever 3` whereby yto aid in steering the machine, and upon the rear end of this tongue or push bar is a `'pl-atj- .55 forma upon which the operator may `stand or be seated. The front end of thelpushbar or tongue 1` is mountedupon an axle 5 upon the ends of which are fitted ground wheels v6 which may be utilized to furnish motive poWj- 69 er for the working parts.'l The front end'of the tongue or push bar is provided with a bearing 7 which receives the axle and thereby supports thetongue on the axle while, at the same time, permitting rotation of the axle, if a rotatable axle be desired. `Immediately at vthe rear, of the aXle 4a cross beamer platform 8 is securedon lthe tongue, and one end of this platform is further supported by a brace9 extending between the same and the tongue, 70 as showny in FigfQ'. As shown, the axle may be fitted with askeinV or sleeve' `l() disposed within the bearing 7 and the left-hand ground wheel 6 maybe rigidly secured to the aXle so that. theV aXle wil-l rotate therewith, while the right-hand ground wheel may be free AuponjthejaXle to rotate about the same.

Draft devices (not shown) may be mounted upon the rear'portion of the tongue orpush' bar Vl so thatdraft animals may be hitched 3.0 thereto or atractor may be connected therewith to effecttravel of Athe machine over the field, the cotton picking or stripping mechanism being mounted at the front of the machine soas to operate inl advance of the tractor or draft animals. Y v

A sleeve ll, correspondingto the 'sleeve 10, is mounted upon the axle at the right of the sleeve 10, and uponeachvof said sleeves `is erected a standard 12 the standards being 9.9 disposed at one end of the respective sleeves and `braced by inclined bars '13 extending between and attachedto the opposite ends vof the respective sleeves andto disks 14 secured upon the respective standards-immediately adjacentthe yupper ends `of the same.` f jPivotally attached to the ydisks or heads ,'14 are the front ends of bars'l which converge rrearwardly and are pivoted to a rockingI standard V"16 pivotedL atits lower end uponthetonguefor 171,00

push bar 1, as shown most clearly in Fig. 5. The connecting bars are pivoted to the standard 16 near the upper end of the same, and a link 17 is also pivoted at its front end to said standard adjacent the upper end of the same and extends downwardly and rearwardly to be pivoted to a crank 18 mounted on the tongue and normally held in its rearward position by a contractile spring 19 attached to the crank and to the tongue at the rear of the crank. To the upper extremity of the standard 16 is pivoted the front end of an adjusting bar 20 which extends rearwardly and has its rear end supported by a rest 21 secured to and rising fromthe tongue, as shown inFig. 1. A latch, indicated conventionally at 22, is mounted upon vthe rear end of thev adjusting barV and is adapted to engage selectivelyv in openings provided therefor in the rest 21 whereby the parts may be held in a set position.V A; brace 23 extends 'between the lower end of the standard'16 and the rear end of the adjusting bar 20, as shown in Fig. 1, so that the desired firinnesswill be impartedto the structure. lt willbe readily understood that if the adjusting bar 2O be pushed forwardly or drawn rearwardly, a rocking movement will-be imparted to the standard 16 and will be transmitted therefrom through lthe bars 15 to the standards 12 vwhich will be thereupon caused to rock upon the axle 5 and, consequently, impart vertical adjustment to'any structure which' maybe supported-from said standards 12.

The sleeves 10 and 11are each formed with a forwardly projecting lug24,and immediate-` ly adjacent said lug is a groove 25 extending vertically across the forward portion of the sleeve. Slidably engaged in each groove or,

recess 25 is acarrying arm 26 which extends downwardly therefrom vand then forwardly vto support the frame upon which the picking and conveying mechanisms are `mou`nted; *.f Eachcarrying arm 26 is provided at its upper 'be imparted to thesupporting arm 26. It will lthus be seen that I have provided for a very wide range of adjustment of the'structure carried bythe arms '26'inasmuch as an approximate adjustment maybe. effected by the `manipulation of the adjusting bar-2O and then aclose adjustment obtained through operation of the hand wheels 29. To impart additional strength to the structure and guard Secured upon and carried by the front extremities of the supporting arms 26 is a frame or platform comprising a rdar section 32 which extends the full width ofthe machine, and a front member V33 which is connected with the rear member 32 at intervals by beams,'as indicated at 34. The Afront bar 33 is formed in sections so that openings Vwill be provided to-fpermit the frame topass at opposite sides of a row of plants, and alined with -said openings are notchesV or recesses 35in the front portion of the platform'ory rear bar 32 which will receive the main stelnsfof the plants and readily bend them sol that the machine may clear the plants after the cotton has been-stripped therefrom.V Mounted upon the frame members 32 and 33 are bearings in` esY which are journaled the picker or stripper rollers 36, these rollers being arranged in pairs to act upon opposite sides Vof ai plant, v `as will be understood upon reference to 3, and each roller is equipped withfa plurality of picker iingersw.7 which may conveniently-be stout wires somewhat curved and arranged to Vtravel upwardly Vthrough the plantsftostrip the cotton bollstherefrom. The stripper fin# gers are arranged in spiral series around the rollers so that they wi'lleffectuallygpassup Y throughthe entire plant and successivelyengage all the bolls fin a plantas the` machine 1 i rides past the-same, and they are so disposed that the teeth on one roll work opposite the j space between two series of teethk ontheicooperating roll, thereby avoiding interference.

At the ends of the platform or supporting frame and between adjacent pairs of picker`v rollers are hoppers, each consisting'of a pair of concave plates 38'secured upon andextending longitudinally'hetween the frame l with notches 39 throughv which the'ends of Y the picker `fingers pass while traveling through the downward portionof their revo- Vlution. The picker rolls rotateat highV speed members 32--33 and provided in their edges Y into armain conveyer' at the rear "of the platform 32, vas will be `presently described.

Mounted upon the platform 32 and thev front:,

Vbars v33 and extending between thesame vertically spaced relation thereto'are hoods 42, which may be grooved or slotted, as indicated at 43, to accommodate the ends of the picker teeth, and which are curved slightly downward' and with their 'free edges proj ect-V p ingy over the edges of the respectively adjacent hoppers, as sho-wn in FigQS. These hoods' I l may be mounted upon stub shafts 45 and rollers 46 mounted upon the front frame mem*n bers33, while their rear ends are carried by rollers47 fixed to a shaft 48 which extends the entire length of the member 32 so that if Ysaid shaft be rotated, the `desired travel" of the conveyers will be effected. As shown at 49 in Fig. 10, the forward edge of the platform member 32 is beveled at intervals'to accommodate the lower run of the respective conveyers. The shaft 48 is also the driving element for the several picker rollers, and, to this end, beveled gears 50 are secured to the shaft at intervals along the same, and the picker rollers have their shafts equipped at their rear ends with similar gears 51 meshing with the respective gears 50, as will be understood upon reference to Figs. 2' and 4. lt will also be noted that the gears 50 and 51 are alternately reversed so that the cooperating picker rollers will be rotated in opposite directions to cause the fingers thereon to all move upwardly throughthe plants.

fit the rear of the platform member 32 is a transverse conveyer 52 consisting of 'an endl less belt or chain equipped with teeth corresponding to the conveyers 40, as will be understood. One end of the conveyer 52 is supported by an idle roller or drum mounted between and vsupported by the platform member 32 and a guard rail 53 Awhich is carried by the arms 26 at the rear of said member 32 and parallel therewith, said guard rail 53 eX- tending upwardly and rearwardly, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. A smaller guard rail or fender 54 is mounted upon the platform 32 at the rear edge of the same so that the cotton will be directed positively ontol the conveyer 52 which may be said to run in a cotton-receiving trough. f l

Carried by the push bar or-tongue 1, at the rear of the platform 8, is a frame bar 55 upon which is mounted a transmission shaft 5G, and at the inner end of this shaft 56 are sprocketwheels 57 and 58, a sprocket chain 59 being trained about the sprocket 57 and a cooperating sprocket 60 on one end of the driving shaft of an internal combustion engine 61 which is supported upon the plataclaim: a

:form- 8 inany convenient'manner.' This en'- gine 61 may be -of any approved type and is illustrated in a conventional manner only. If' preferred, an'electric motor may be used instead of an internal combustion exigirle, but, generally, the internal combustion engine will be' more -convenient. A' chain 62 is trained about the sprocket 58r and a sprocket lgear 63 which vis secured to the side ofthe l v adjacent ground wheel 6 wherebyythe transy'75 mission shaft56 may be driven from the en'- gine or from the ground wheel, as'm'ay ybe preferred. It may be considered desirableto employ both driving'instrumentalities inasmuch as if the engineshouldfail to yoperate for any reason, the power generatedbythe traction fof the' 'ground wheel will befa'v'ail'- able. The engine shaft is equipped vwith suitable flywheels 64, andat. the end remote from the Vsprocket GOwis equipped .with y ai sprocket 65 'about which is traineda sprocket chain 66""extending to a 'sprocketf secured Y upon the shaft 48, as will be understood upon reference to Figs. 2 land 5. It will thus be kseen that the shaft 48 may be driven directly `l`00 fromthe engine. '.When the shaft 48 is tobe driven from the transmissionshaft 56,:sgearing, indicatedat 66, 4is employed to connect the shaft 56 withl a longitudinal shaftv 67 .extending forwardly to the shaft 48- an'd coni'95 nected Itherewithbybeveledv gearing, indicated at 68. The shaft: is operativelyconnected by sprocket gearing-.69.with alongi-v tudinal shaft,.indicated at 70, which extends l y forwardly'and is secured to the driving drum "100 or roller 71 which supports one end ofthe conveyer 52. v The :con'veyer-l 52 delivers the cotton .to an elevator 72 consisting of .two cooperating 'endless belts, as-lshown most clear- Y ly in Fig.A 8, which belts' aredriven by'rollersf105 or -shafts'' at vtheir lower ends.- "Said shafts 7 3 are connectedbyuniversal Ijoints 7 4 with .shafts V.75.having their rear ends supported 1in Vany convenient manner fromthefraine ba'r55 and being v"operatively 'connected lby'pfll intermeshing gears-76 'so that the shafts will be simultaneously, rotated. at fthe same .speed but in opposite directions.A The upper. shaftV 7 5 isconnected by beveled gearing,'indicatedl at 7 7 Vwith 'the transmission shaft 56 so `that--115 lthe elevator will be'positive-1yoperated.y

VHaving thus describedthe. inventionI 1. In a cotton harvester, the combination of a push bar, an axle engagedfwith the front"'120V end of the push bar, ground wheels mounted on the axle, a steering wheel supporting.V the rear end-0f the push bar, supporting arms fitted tothe axle and extending downwardly s Vand forwardly therefrom, a frame'-carriedf'125 by the frontends of `said arms,;cotto'n picking. mechanism mounted jon said frame, v.means l-whereby the supporting arms maybe adjusted vertically` relativey `to the. axle, rocking" ypostsmounted: over the axle, connections lie-i 45, of vlongitudinally disposed picking rollers tween said posts and the supporting arms, and means forrocking said posts.

2. In a cotton picker, the combination of a push bar, an axle engaged with the front endof the push bar, sleeves mounted upon said axle, supporting arms engaged with the 4 respective sleeves to slide vertically across the same, means whereby said arms will kbe supported by said sleeves, means for vertically. adjusting the arms relative tov the sleeves, and means for rocking the sleeves wherebyqto further adjust the supporting arms. v y

3. In a cottonlharvester, the combination of a4 push bar, an axle engaged with the .front end of the push bar, sleeves fitted upon `the' axle and 'provided 1 with vertical grooves in their front'portions, supporting arms extending downwardly and forwardly7 from the sleeves, cotton apicking mechanism carried by said arms, the upper ends of the arms being engaged in the grooves in the sleeves, lugs projecting from the sleeves adjacent said grooves, terminal caps extending laterally from the upper ends of the arms and resting on said lugs, screwsrising from said lugs through the caps, adjusting wheels threaded on the screws and swiveled to the caps, and means'for rocking thefsleeves and the supporting arms. Y

4. In a cotton harvester, the combination of a platform, avtransverse series of longitudinally disposed cotton picking rollers mounted on said platform and arranged in pairs, hoppers disposed at the sides of the rollers andarranged to strip cotton therefrom, conveyers in theI bottoms of said hoppers for carrying the'cotton rearwardly, a

transverse conveyer at the rear of the several hoppers and receiving cotton from all the hoppers, and means for operating the .cotton picking rollers and the several conveyers.

5. In a cotton harvester, the combination of a horizontal platform, a transverse series mounted on ksaid platform and arranged in Y pairs'to operate uponr opposite sides of rows of plants, picker teeth'mounted on said roll- 4gers, hoodssupported on the platform `at the Y rearof and above each pair of rollers and spanning the respective rollers, hoppers dislposed'at the sides of the rollers to receive the cotton therefrom, the sides of the hoppers being under and spacedV vertically fromthe side edges ofthe hoods, and rearwardly traveling Vconveyers in the bottoms of the hoppers.- Y Y 6. In a cotton harvester, the combination of horizontallyrdisposed` picking rollers arranged infpairs to operate Aupon the opposite y .sides-of rows of plants, spirally disposed picker teeth carried bythe rollers, hoods karranged over and spanning the several pairs of rollers,.fhoppers arranged at the sides of V`the rollers and -having notches in their edges veyer at the, rear of the hoppersand hoods receiving cotton from all the hoppers.v Y 7. A cotton harvester comprising'a traveling frame, a platform supportedV belowV and at the front of the frame, pairs of picking rollers mounted on the platform, the platformlhaving a rec-ess in its front edge between the rollers of each pair' of rollers, hoods supported on the platform having notches therein and spanning the respectivepairs of rollers, hoppers on the platform at the sides of the rollers, thev side edges of the hoppers being under and in vertically spaced relation to the sideedges of the hoods, rearwardly traveling conveyers in the` bottoms kof the hoppers, a rearwardly andV upwardly inclined rail at the rearof the platform, and a transj verse conveyer between said rail and the plat-form receiving cotton from, all the hop- Yico` 

